Saturday, March 28, 2015

I had been wanting to make these for weeks and weeks and they did not disappoint! They are very easy to make,I used two bowls for mixing,not even an electric mixer. I refrigerated them after they were cool since they have a cream cheese frosting and they stayed fresh and delicious for days! I was hesitant to use white vinegar though,for some reason it scared me,but all was fine and they still tasted chocolaty and moist.

Irish soda bread is one thing I love eating but I haven't made myself but after this batch I don't see why I can go back to not baking it on my own. All the ingredients go in one bowl and you mix it all up;I even added raisins (I like them). This bread is a more simple bread,not as sweet or stiff as my usual loaf from Jewel.

Friday, March 27, 2015

Hello, Blonde Freedomvisitors and thank you for stopping by and reading my lil ol' blog!
Since Skylar is on vacation for her Spring Break,I thought it would be fun to talk about my last two Spring Break trips.

Last March, I drove down to Nashville with two of my Besties,for a getaway and girls' weekend. What an awesome time we had! Exploring the South, eating delicious food, enjoying true Spring weather (there were flowers blooming and you could see the green grass AND it was "hot"--50s and 60s!. That was awesome enough for us Chicago girls who had endured a rather long,terribly snowy and dreadfully cold Winter.)

We went to the Grand Ole Opry for a tour, went to the Nashville Zoo on a superbly beautiful day, toured a classic Southern Plantation (Belle Meade), went on a wine tasting (yum!),stumbled upon the Parthenon and toured and tasted at Corsair Distillery. We had a truly fantastic time and I know I can't wait to go back to Nashville to hear some more country music!

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Another favorite Spring Break trip of mine was in 2012,when I flew out to NYC for the very first time! I hit a lot of the classic tourist stops but I also loved walking around Central Park and all of Uptown,Downtown and Greenwich Village along with stopping at the International Center of Photography Museum/Exhibits.Seeing the World Trade Center Memorial and rebuilding was a somber moment and going to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty reminded me of how strong and promising America is. I also learned that the Chrysler Building is my favorite in NYC, so pretty;and the views on top of the Empire State Building were breathtaking. And walking across the Brooklyn Bridge as traffic drives by was so neat and a tad nerve wracking. I have to go back to NYC to capture everything I "missed" on this trip! It is a lively,busy,thriving city!

FRIENDS apartment,anyone? I was most proud of finding this on my own.

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There you go,some of my favorite Spring Break trips. I am going to DC next week for this year's Spring Break and I am sure I will be blown away again by another of America's wonderful cities and history hubs.

Saturday, March 21, 2015

Thursday, March 19, 2015

I had such a great time participating in Astleigh and Rachel's Christmas Cheer Swap that I just had to join their Spring Cheer Swap,too! And I was paired up with another wonderful swap mate! Jessica

Jessica sent me a lovely box filled with Spring colored confetti and a sweet Easter card. The box was then filled with: a coffee tumbler,two chocolates,peeps,milano cookies, a lip balm,an incense candle and some cute paper clips/pens and notepad. Thanks so much,Jessica!

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Happy St. Patty's Day!! May the luck o' the Irish be with you! I'm not Irish,at all, but I love indulging in the festivities. Corned beef,potatoes, cabbage and a Smithwick beer are for dinner tonight,but of course!